


Untangled

by legendofthesevenstars



Category: Tenkuu no Escaflowne | The Vision of Escaflowne
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hair Brushing, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 09:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30087318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendofthesevenstars/pseuds/legendofthesevenstars
Summary: While Van is still recovering from his injury and illness, Allen and Hitomi offer to help him comb his hair. Though he refuses at first, his fatigue leads him to give in, and he allows them to take care of him.
Relationships: Van Fanel & Kanzaki Hitomi & Allen Schezar
Kudos: 1





	Untangled

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little side story set during the timeline of my post-episode 18 fic "And Know That You Are Loved," specifically during chapter 4. (I've tried to provide as much context as I can, but you will understand it better if you are familiar with that fic.) I was inspired by a sketch of bedhead Van that my friend sent me. ^^

The bed in the old woman’s house was comfortable, but then, anything was more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. Van still felt weak from his fever having broken two days ago, so when Hitomi and Allen left his room to eat breakfast, he lay there half-asleep until mid-morning instead. He got dressed and drank some water, but he didn’t join them at breakfast. By lunchtime, when the old woman asked if he felt up to eating, his stomach was too empty to ignore.

Hitomi brought in a wooden tray and set it on his lap, and Allen came in to sit with the two of them. Van had just started spooning broth into his mouth when he felt Hitomi’s eyes on him. He kept eating, hoping the conversation could wait until after he was done.

Then Hitomi said, “It’s all matted and dirty.”

“Huh?” He looked over at her. She was staring above his forehead.

“It is,” Allen agreed. When Van looked over at him, he clarified, “Your hair.”

Van set down his spoon and reached behind his head to touch his hair. It was greasy, tangled, and beginning to mat together. And full of dirt from the forest floor.

“I’m going to wash it when I bathe this evening.” Turning his attention back to his tray, he continued eating his lunch.

“Even so, combing out all those knots won’t be easy,” said Allen. “I only say so because I just had to do it myself.”

Van lowered his eyes to look at the tray. “Do you think I don’t know how to comb my own hair?”

“Just offering to give your arm a little rest. Reaching behind your head might not be easy with your wound still recovering.”

Van tried glancing at his shoulder, though he knew he wouldn’t be able to see very much. “I can do it myself.”

“That’s fine, too. My offer still stands.”

“You might want to rest your arms a little,” Hitomi added. “You’re probably still tired from piloting Escaflowne.”

Van frowned. They didn’t have to be so concerned about something as inconsequential as combing his hair. He was on the mend, after all, and nowhere near as weak as he had been before his fever broke. One thing was for certain—he was really looking forward to that bath.

—

The water was a little cold, but it felt good to finally take a real bath. As refreshing as the pure mountain water had been, there hadn’t been any soap, and now Van realized just how filthy he still was. When he got to his head, he scrubbed his scalp hard, washing the dirt and sweat out of his hair. After drying off, he changed into a fresh pair of undergarments and a nightshirt, then grabbed the comb from next to the washbasin. He lifted his hand behind his head. Just as he started to brush, he finally felt the pinch of his wound.

It was embarrassing, but he _was_ too tired to comb his hair. They’d taken a long walk outside around the house, all three of them. He’d already worn out his arms and shoulders by washing his hair. And Hitomi was right—he _was_ still sore from operating Escaflowne.

Resigned, he left the bathroom, intending to walk back to the room near the top of the stairs where he was staying. Then he turned around, hesitating in front of the door to Allen and Hitomi’s room. Before he could come close enough to knock, the door swung open, and he took a step back. Hitomi came out, wearing a nightgown and stockings.

“Van?” Hitomi looked at him, then at the comb still in his hand.

Van averted his eyes. How was he supposed to ask her to do this without sounding ridiculous? He didn’t comb his hair regularly because he didn’t carry a comb with him. Usually, Merle groomed him, and aside from her, there was no one else he trusted to untangle his hair. Sure, Allen had offered to comb his hair, but Hitomi hadn’t. And he wasn’t sure about asking her.

Thankfully, before he could try to ask, Hitomi already knew. She smiled and opened the door to the small room she was sharing with Allen. Allen was sitting on one of the two beds, changed into his nightshirt as well.

“Need help?” he asked.

Van walked over to the bed at Allen’s gesture, sitting beside him and handing him the comb.

“Turn around,” he said, and Van did. Allen’s fingertips brushed the back of his neck before he smoothed down Van’s damp hair with his hands.

“It’s not too bad. I’ll give it a quick comb. Then, Hitomi, you do a second run?”

“Yes, of course.”

At first, Van flinched when the teeth of the comb grazed his scalp. He winced when Allen struggled through the first knot. But when he’d finished, the comb glided smoothly through that section of his hair, once, then a second time. Allen combed out another knot, working the comb back and forth to untangle the knot, then dragging it through Van’s hair.

“You’ve got very thick hair,” Allen observed.

“It is thick,” Hitomi said, taking a damp piece of his hair and lifting it in her hand. His heart turned over in his chest, but when she withdrew her hand and Allen returned to his combing, a sense of calm washed over him again.

Before Merle started grooming him, Mother had used to comb his hair. She must have sung a song while doing it. He remembered pushing his back into her knees to get closer. He sighed through his nose, his body relaxing further.

“Here, Hitomi,” Allen said. The weight on the bed shifted as they switched places, and then he felt Hitomi gently combing his hair with her fingers. Normally, having her so close would make his heart beat out of his chest. Instead, he felt oddly serene, and his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. Even when she started using the comb, he barely felt the change.

“I don’t think he’ll stay awake,” he only half-heard Allen say.

“Van? Are you ready to go to bed?”

He mumbled, then blinked himself alert. “I’m awake.”

“I understand,” Hitomi said. “It always put me to sleep when my mom brushed my hair.”

Van hummed in reply. The more she combed, the heavier his eyelids felt.

Hitomi tapped his shoulder, and he forced his eyes open. “I’m awake,” he repeated, turning over his shoulder to look at her. His heart caught in his throat. She really was close, closer than he’d realized.

“It’s okay,” Hitomi replied. She smiled, and his chest felt warm. “You’ll need your hair combed again when you wake up tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Hitomi had told him that when his fever had broken, he was plagued by nightmares, and she and Allen had stayed up with him all night. They had stayed with him through the worst of his illness, slept beside him every night up until now. Though he wasn’t in immediate danger like he would be out in the woods, he still felt almost afraid to go to sleep without them nearby.

Clearing his throat and shifting uneasily, he asked in a small voice, “Will you guys help me walk back?”

“Yes, we will,” Allen said.

They both stood up, and he followed, letting them support him on the way back to his room. He climbed in bed and tucked himself in, laying his head on the pillow with a content sigh.

“Long day?” Allen asked, looking down at him.

“I’m getting stronger,” Van said. He closed his eyes. “I’ll be fully recovered soon.”

“Maybe we can celebrate your recovery. There might be a tavern in this town.”

“That’s a great idea,” Hitomi said.

“A drink would be nice,” Van mumbled. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he faintly heard Allen’s soft laughter.

As he drifted off, he thought about waking up to have his hair combed again the next morning, and though he would have been afraid of the closeness before, he could only think of how comforting it would be to have them finish the job.


End file.
